‘Oh my…’ She was lost for words.
The community of Heartcross had lined the pavement and as soon as they spotted Rose, they let out a cheer and began waving flags. Isla was standing next to Felicity and Rona, all holding up good luck signs. Florrie pulled up beside them.
‘Let me guess, this is all down to you?’ she asked.
‘Maybe!’ said Isla. ‘We couldn’t let you go off without you knowing the whole village is behind you. We love you and Ada and we wish you all the luck in the world. We’ll all be watching. Meredith and Fraser are putting on brunch in the pub so we can all come together to watch your debut TV performance.’
Overwhelmed, Florrie swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at the line of familiar faces and the bold and colourful signs.
Save Rose Cottage Gardens
Save The Vintage Flower Van
Good luck today, Florrie!
Everyone was supportive and it meant a lot to Florrie to have them all behind her. Fanning a hand in front of her face, she said, ‘I’ve come over all emotional.’
‘Don’t cry, you’ll have puffy eyes and that won’t be a good look for TV.’ Isla smiled. ‘We’ll all see you tonight at the meeting.’
‘Eek! I’ll see you later. Here I go!’
‘Break a leg!’ cried Rona.
Florrie set off slowly, waving out of the window with one hand whilst beeping the horn with the other. Uplifted, she joined the track at the bottom of Love Heart Lane and drove over the bridge into Glensheil, on a mission to save everything Great-Aunt Ada had worked so hard to achieve.
Thankfully, there were no delays on the roads and Florrie spent the journey rehearsing numerous things in her mind that what she wanted to say, but as she turned left and saw the impressive TV building in front of her, the nerves kicked in and her mind went blank. She slowed as she approached the security barrier and wound down her window. The security guard greeted her with a smile. She gave her name and the passcode that had been emailed to her. He looked at her and for a moment she thought there was a problem, but then he smiled again. ‘Florrie Appleton, you’re the reason my wife has just booked us a weekend away in Heartcross! She’s in love with that vintage flower van of yours, in fact she’s obsessed. She’s a lover of flowers and all things romantic and for our anniversary all she wanted was a weekend away in Heartcross and a bunch of flowers bought from your famous flower van.’
Florrie’s heart swelled with happiness. ‘That’s so lovely to hear, and so romantic. If you want to send me a message on social media, I’ll make sure I have her favourite bouquet made up for you on the day.’
‘I will, thank you. She won’t believe you’re here today.’ The security guard looked towards the TV building and then back at Florrie. ‘We aren’t really allowed to ask but would it be possible to get a selfie with you? My wife wouldn’t believe me otherwise.’
Unclipping her seat belt, she stepped out of the van. ‘Of course!’
Feeling like a celebrity, Florrie had her photo taken then climbed back behind the wheel.
‘I’m sending it to her now.’ As soon as the photo was sent the security guard handed over a visitor’s badge, which Florrie displayed in the window of the van, and a lanyard, which she placed around her neck.
‘That car park space is for you’ – he pointed to a space in front of the entrance to the building – ‘and just inside the door you’ll find the reception.’
‘Thank you.’
After she parked the van, she nervously headed up to the double doors and stepped inside. The walls were bright pink. One featured rows and rows of framed pictures of TV presenters who had worked on shows from this very building. In front of her was a tidy reception area, with one desk, one computer and a phone. The receptionist – Rachel, according to her name badge – glanced up as soon as the door opened.
‘Florrie! It’s you! I’ve been waiting to meet you all morning! I follow you on social media and I voted for that very outfit. I thought the other one looked way too official. And ta-dah!’
Rachel’s hands appeared from underneath the desk and Florrie was amazed to see she was also wearing fingerless gloves. ‘It’s the latest fashion craze and it’s all thanks to you. You need to start your own merchandise; these will sell like hotcakes along with your flowers.’
‘Wow!’ Florrie was surprised. ‘Maybe. I’ll think about that.’
‘And can I just say I love your flower van and your bouquets are beautiful? Imustvisit.’ Rachel’s friendly nature immediately put Florrie at ease.
‘Thank you.’ Florrie smiled. ‘I’m already feeling very loved today.’
‘How was your journey?’ Rachel stood up, walked around the desk and shook Florrie’s hand.
‘Straightforward and I didn’t hit any traffic at all.’
‘But I bet you’re in need of a warm drink and some light refreshments. Follow me and I’ll show you to your dressing room. The bathroom is right next door and the Green Room is directly opposite. You can hang out in there and watch the guests that are on the show after you. Cathy and Ben can’t wait to meet you. The story of your great-grandfather is so romantic. Honestly, it melted everyone’s heart here in the studio and all the viewers are going to fall in love with you. You’re so adorable.’
